Hey All,
It’s been over a year since I’ve posted anything here and a
week since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary. I’ll get into my prolonged
absence in a later post but for now I’d like to focus on the way we process,
grieve, and respond to this abhorrent event. As always this is one dude’s
opinion based on and rooted in my experiences, strengths, weakness, hopes, and
fears. While I’ll do my best to minimize my weaknesses and fears I’m certain
that some will slip through so I ask that you be mindful of that possibility which
happily brings me to my request for all of us during this time: Think!
Think for yourselves. Think about what you are hearing.
Think about your responses to what you’re hearing. Think about what you are
saying. Think before a word forms on your tongue. Think about why you are
saying it. Think about the person saying what you’re hearing. Think about the
beliefs you purport to hold. Think about the meaning of the words you are
saying. Think about whether or not what you’re about to do or say is helpful or
not. Think about the context you inhabit. Think about what is going on in the
world. Think about your part in the goings on of the world. Think about your
actions. Think about your motives. In the words of my father: Think Dammit!
Way too often I just let the words fall right out of my
mouth without thought or care to the far reaching implications of what I’m
saying. When my thoughtless or careless words are held back up to me by someone
I get fussy. I was just blowing off steam. I didn’t mean it like that! That was
not my intention! That’s taken out of context. I didn’t think…
What we say matters. How we speak about things matter. The
words we use effect how what we are saying will be received. Some of the folks
who started reading this bristled at and may even no longer be with us because of the last word of
paragraph two. What we post, blog, or tweet is a reflection of our true selves.
How we conduct ourselves affects the world around us. The cold reality is that
we really do love others as we love ourselves. How we treat people, how we
react and respond to the world around us is a tethered to the anchor of how
view we have ourselves and the baggage we lug around with us. To be aware of that
is to be given the choice to take responsibility for yourself.
Have a good one,
Carl
